Model United Nations, also known as Model UN or MUN, is an educational simulation in which high school or university students represent the viewpoint of their allocated state in a given body of the United Nations. During this simulation of debates and decision-making, they are meant to improve their knowledge and their skills in a practical context.

Knowledge may stand for a theoretical, academic approach meaning international relations theory, diplomacy and a general understanding of the work of international organisations. On the other hand, it refers to practical, everyday developments. For example, an international relations expert or anyone involved in the field of world affairs has to be up to date regarding their own agenda or field of study. In an MUN simulation to get the upper hand, you need to be up to date and that is exactly why MUN is a great incentive to stay informed regarding current trends, dynamics and news. These elements may have a vital effect on the flow of a debate, therefore it is inevitable to always keep an eye on the actualities.

For the preparation to an MUN, one needs to do substantial research of the topic at hand, especially if it has detailed and complex legal and political aspects. Once a general understanding of the situation is established, a participant is ought to look into one’s allocated state to gain a deeper comprehension of what viewpoints one will have to represent during the simulation. This requires a high level of empathy and capability to stay objectively unattached to one’s own views when it comes to representing that of states’. Once the future participant is ready with all this, this person needs to establish a strategic plan to reach the goals defined by the state he or she is supposed to represent. Once all this is completed, a position paper is to be written that outlines the most essential elements of the preparatory research and planning.

During the simulation, participants will have to be able to communicate their represented states’ point of view which requires public speaking skills. If they have finished vocalising their interests, participants shall step to the next level and get engaged in bi- or multilateral talks, also called lobbying, using their debating and leadership skills to persuade other participants of their own truth, their own understanding of the situation or their own opinion regarding a topic. At the end of the day, the most convincing, most engaged and best leader will conquer the debate and fulfill the interests of their own represented state. Of course, in an ideal world, everyone would strive to reach a compromise that will lead to a lasting solution to issues posing a risk to international peace and security, and teaching this mentality should be in the centre of MUN itself. However, we have to understand that this is not always the case. This is why MUN gives participants the chance to take part in closed-door diplomacy as well, meaning coming to agreements with important actors being left out of the conversation. In our opinion, the beauty of MUN lies in not telling you how you should reach your goals, but in giving you as many life-like opportunities as possible while hoping for you to do the right thing.

Last, but not least, MUN conferences are great opportunities to meet with open- and like-minded, ambitious students from all over the world. Networking and making friendships is essential for those seeking a career in the field of diplomacy. Atsuch conferences, you have a chance to meet fellow aspiring professionals, diplomats, ambassadors or academics. You can explore different cities which is an additional benefit for those who seek adventures and love to travel. Therefore, these conferences not only offer professional and personal development, but also a cultural and linguistic exchange.

On Day 0, the Sightseeing Tour takes place, where the participants can not only get to know the gems of Budapest and their future familiar routes for the week, but also meet their chamber members before the sessions. With the help of the Event Coordination Team, all can get to the heart of Budapest in daylight and try out different Hungarian specialties, such as handcrafted lavender ice cream on their way to the next sight.
Professional opportunities are also provided in forms of workshops of various levels and topics for all chambers. Last but not least, the awaited meeting of the Organising Team and the participants can finally also take place in person.

One of the most gracefully elegant social of the week is the fancy, business Committee Dinner, where tasty Hungarian dishes, networking opportunities and professional connections are served in a historic and fancy ballroom. Each year, participants can enjoy this evening with their new acquaintances and their own home delegations, while taking amazing professional photos and planning where to go next. The Dinner is followed by a loose and fun social party with well-fed diplomats enjoying the nightlife of Budapest.

The Diplomats’ Soirée is held up on Gellért Hill, where the participants can get the perfect view of the city at sunset, including the Parliament, the Chain Bridge and the hill itself. This black tie event is a formal reception, requiring such dress code.
Participants have the opportunity for a higher level of networking, including ambassadors, directors of related institutions, delegates and their fellow chamber members as well, with a glass of champagne. After listening to speeches and openings, or having taken hundreds of sunset photos, the participants may move to the next station of their night, which is usually a fancier social party.

Considering the fact that people from many different countries will meet at the conference, we, the Organisers, would like to make sure that all of the participants have the possibility to introduce their culture to the others on the Multicultural Night. Let it be your secret talent of singing, dancing, a traditional folkdance, we are all open-heartedly waiting for you to show us that piece of your home, if you are eager to do so!

State interests do not always require the consensus of an entire Chamber but only the agreement of two or more States. Delegates will be able to achieve their aims, gain resources as well as support possible allies by signing bilateral or multilateral Treaties.
However, only a limited amount of resources will be at the disposal of Delegations – money will often be in short supply.. Furthermore, resources will not only be required for signing treaties but also for dealing with unexpected Crisis events, so Delegates must be mindful of their spending!

States represented in multiple Chambers will be considered Delegations, that have common aims and resources. Each Chamber will have a designated level of representation, so Participants could be Foreign Ministers or Ambassadors to the UN, just to name a few possibilities.

Being at the top of a delegation’s Hierarchy will come with many rights but also responsibilities. A Delegation’s top Representative (a Head Delegate) will be the only one authorised to approve Bilateral and multilateral Treaties in the name of their State.
A Diplomatic Corps (or CD delegate) is considered as the right hand of the Head Delegate and will often be invited to other Chambers to speak on behalf of their Delegation.
The Financial Committee Delegate, responsible for the budget of a Delegation, and the CD delegate, who supposed to represent the needs and expertise of all lower level members of the delegation are together the advisors of the Head Delegates. They will support them in making hard decisions regarding what the Delegation should focus on and where to allocate the Delegation’s limited resources.

Lower level delegates are supposed to feed the CD member with information that might come handy in other Chambers or during the decision-making procedure of the Head Delegate and its advisors.

As the financial backbone of the conference, Financial Committee members will have the task of preserving the limited resources of their individual States’ to the most crucial projects their Delegations might want to achieve. With also having a main topic to discuss and treaties to support or talk others out from, these delegates will have a major impact on the course of the conference. Before a Head Delegate may make any decision regarding resources, it would be highly encouraged to ask the opinion of the respective Financial Committee Member supposed to support his or her decision-making.

Being the eyes and ears of the conference, Press Members are tasked with not letting any relevant happening go undetected. Press Members are, during the simulation, employees of a News Agency which have been carefully selected according to the certain topic and relevant states at hand. There, they will have to work to cover the events of the Conference from their Agency’s point of view, providing a certain degree of bias. Depending on the Agency, Press Members may also have to support some States’ interests through their reporting.
For the rest of the Conference, the Press Corps will be the primary source of up-to-date information from all the other Chambers. It will be essential to follow news published as in each article, as one might expect, the devil is in the details.
By introducing the Press Conference, Press Corps Members will have a chance to be in the spotlight and steal the show by provoking and testing representatives of their preparedness, ideas and standpoints.

For us to be able to introduce a main narrative connecting each chamber and to engage the highest number of states, changes and developments to real-life situations are sometimes inevitable. Without the concept of diverging reality, many chambers might not be able to contribute to the most exciting topics or some states might feel neglected to a level of boredom. Fear not! Our team of young experts in the field of international law are eager to connect the dots for these occasions and artificially create situations which in real life might not occur but are valid and believable scenarios. This way, real-life events, that would require attention from the international community but are ignored due to their low intensity, can be lifted into the spotlight for real examination. This leads to our participants getting to know about minor events in the world that have the potential to cause real harm to international peace and security. Chambers will have to discuss their own individual topics at hand but a crisis might just cause a twist for some that will dictate them to change their thinking, their sides and adapt to the new setting laid ahead of them.

With the topics and chambers being interconnected, it is up to a small proportion of participants to keep the delegates of their represented states focused on their own agendas while also serving the bigger picture and the main interests of their represented states. The Diplomatic Corps (or as the French acronym composes: CD (Corps Diplomatique) is an independent body that is supposed to coordinate the efforts of all members of their state’s delegation. This allows them to achieve a higher level of communication between states and also leads to a higher degree of interconnectedness. These delegates will serve as “grey eminences” throughout the conference gathering information from lower hierarchy delegates, helping the head delegate making decisions, and disseminating information, coordinating the efforts of the delegation as a whole.

International relations and challenges of the 21st Century cannot be understood if we do not take into consideration the magnitude of the interdependence of certain issues, topics or regions. That is why, during Munapest, we attempt to scrutinize our general topic and main narrative with the help of each and every chamber having a small slice that they contribute to this comprehensive approach. This is called interconnectivity. Each participant is committed to resolving one major issue by doing its part and keeping in mind that their actions may have unforeseeable consequences for others if they act irresponsibly. Further deepening the interconnectivity, we created various channels: the Press whose goal is to gather and distribute information throughout the whole conference, the economic system to implement a crucial segment of diplomacy and the Diplomatic Corps is introduced to Munapest in 2019 as well.